What's with Apple's commercials?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

So you're happy with overpaying for eyecandy? The sad thing is is you can build computers with the same specs often for 1/2 the price of what they're selling. What Cook is really saying is that they're advertising department is good, not their computers.

Yes, happy to the point of recommending it to my friends and coworkers--and they don't seem to mind overpaying for eyecandy, either. It might be that the value of the entire system is at a price they're willing to pay.

Originally Posted by Mazin

Mac addicts, flame me if you'd like, but I'd rather hear some intelligent reasons why anyone would choose to use a Mac over other faster, cheaper, more stable systems.

I won't flame anyone who isn't feeling it, though I will note that 1 GB of RAM is low for an Intel-based Mac. My MacBook has 2 GB; you can now option up a MacBook Pro to four.

To answer your request: For me, my Mac is faster, more stable, and more durable than the PCs I have owned and worked with over the years. The build quality is better than most PCs--thinner, lighter, stronger--which is important when you talk laptops. Add in thoughtful features--MagSafe connectors, slot-loading optical drives (trays can break off and have opened in my bag before), a comfortable keyboard for typing, a trackpad that allows for simple scrolling (two fingers anywhere instead of feeling for some abstract edge)--and I think that they are worth the added cost.

My senior year, I led (read: did) the installation of a four-seat computer lab in my old building on campus using the aluminum iMacs. I was in that same lab last night, and they're still good as new--no trim pieces to yank off, no undesirable software installed, even on XP, and the new lab manager can run the whole thing from one spot. I call that success.

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Also, I hope Apple knows they're shooting themselves in their own feet when it comes to Virus and malware protection. Microsoft's biggest fault, apparently, is it's popularity. So many viruses are written to attack Windows. Now what happens if the Mac somehow reaches, say, 50% of the market share. Are they seriously going to deny that their won't be viruses written to attack it?

Yes, there are vulnerabilities in OS X. I know it, they know it, everyone knows it.

For most cases, though, I've found OS X's nagging to be more tastefully-impelemented than Vista's UAC prompts. When you really need permissions (changing system settings), it asks for an administrator username and password. It makes it harder to blast through them blindly and screw something up because they're harder to get past (impossible without the password) and they come up less often (which throws up a red flag you're more likely to notice).

It all comes down to value--if you can realize extra value for the added cost, get a Mac. If not, go with something else.